Pleasant Hill -> Silicon Valley commute (San Jose, Fremont: rent, home builders)

[socketz]

Sass,

Pleasanton is what you are probably looking for (great schools, charming older homes, everyone is into bike riding/sports, quaint little downtown, good diversity, unbelievably family friendly, etc.)...the BART station is right there, so you have quick access into SF if a commute is required (otherwise, drive if you are going there for pleasure, it's an easy drive)

Pleasanton will remind you a little of Scripps Ranch in San Diego. However, the topography is 10x better and we have a cool little downtown that Scripps does not have.

I work in the heart of SV (near the airport) and make the commute every day (25 miles each way)

About 35-40 mins in the morning max (leave at 7:30am, but 6:30am may be less)
45-50 mins in the afternoon (leave work around 4:30pm)

Warning, it can take ALOT longer (1.5 hours is the worst I've experienced, flipped big rig on the 680), but those are the norms..everyone is in tech here with flexible schedule, so the traffic is much, much worse at 9:30-10am than it is at 6:30-7am. At night, you want to leave work before 4:30pm or after 6:45pm to beat traffic.

I go through Fremont/Union City then across Niles Canyon when the 680 is jammed. Works fine as well.

I get listings daily from a realtor here and you can find a nice little home here under the 650k mark.

Dublin is just to the north, and I like it there as well. However, the schools are not as consistent as Pleasanton and tract homes are more of a mainstay in that area.

I love Walnut Creek, Walnut Hills, Orinda, etc. as well, but those areas are just too far north to commute to SV. People do it, but it's not something you'd want to do for any period of time. I believe most of the people that far north work in SF and Oakland.



Warning, this turns brown in the Summer:

[socketz]

"And the whopper.... Detached home in the 500k range?"

To be honest, I'd rent if I were you. I don't want to go into it too much because many people are homeowners on the forum, but now is not a good time to buy and prices still have a way to go. Rent for a year or two, then buy is my advice.

For example, for $2300 a month, I rent a home that would carry a $4k per month P+I with 20% down. I can afford this amount, but it makes little sense for me to buy just for a tax write-off (appreciation would be 5-7 years out min)

The Bay Area has come down some, but is behind the rest of CA in deppreciation. Most folks here think the prices will never fall, but we know better.

Gas prices are also adding to the 'effect'. Burbs are losing popularity for that reason.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by socketz

"And the whopper.... Detached home in the 500k range?"

To be honest, I'd rent if I were you. I don't want to go into it too much because many people are homeowners on the forum, but now is not a good time to buy and prices still have a way to go. Rent for a year or two, then buy is my advice.

For example, for $2300 a month, I rent a home that would carry a $4k per month P+I with 20% down. I can afford this amount, but it makes little sense for me to buy just for a tax write-off (appreciation would be 5-7 years out min)

The Bay Area has come down some, but is behind the rest of CA in deppreciation. Most folks here think the prices will never fall, but we know better.

Gas prices are also adding to the 'effect'. Burbs are losing popularity for that reason.

Thank you socketz!!!

We would rent, but I would want to rent in a town I could afford to buy into. I would want to make that my last regional move if I could avoid it. 650k is a long way off right now but it might make sense somewhere down the road.

[Mjames]

You can buy nice homes today in the 1200 to 1500 square foot range in San Jose (Blossom Valley, some parts of Evergreen) for 500K or less. Most of these homes will be 30+ years old (I think). My parents are about to put their 43 year old 1200 sq ft home on the market for 460K and it is in very good condition (my parents have OCD when it comes to home maintenance!). 2 years ago, their home would have sold for 600K plus!

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by Mjames

You can buy nice homes today in the 1200 to 1500 square foot range in San Jose (Blossom Valley, some parts of Evergreen) for 500K or less. Most of these homes will be 30+ years old (I think). My parents are about to put their 43 year old 1200 sq ft home on the market for 460K and it is in very good condition (my parents have OCD when it comes to home maintenance!). 2 years ago, their home would have sold for 600K plus!

how are the schools in that area? I prefer an old house, but from what I have seen the affordable areas of SJ have the bad schools and a little bit of a gang problem too.

[Mjames]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

how are the schools in that area? I prefer an old house, but from what I have seen the affordable areas of SJ have the bad schools and a little bit of a gang problem too.

Sorry, but I can't tell you about the quality of the schools. I thought the schools were pretty good in the Blossom Valley area back in the late 70's when I was going to high school, but that was a long time ago.

I just moved away from San Jose to South Carolina, which is why I was not looking into schools in San Jose for my 5 year old.

[socketz]

Evergreen has some good schools in certain areas, but there is a high concentration of a single ethnicity in those areas of Evergreen. The schools in Blossom valley are not good. Generally speaking, if the homes are affordable, the schools are not nearly as good. Good schools districts command large premiums over marginal ones. Much larger than in San Deigo.

[socketz]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Thank you socketz!!!

We would rent, but I would want to rent in a town I could afford to buy into. I would want to make that my last regional move if I could avoid it. 650k is a long way off right now but it might make sense somewhere down the road.

Look in the 94588 zip code within Pleasanton. Homes are about 100k cheaper than 94566. 500k is very doable in 94588.

Also, here's a good site to use as a baseline for school performance:

http://schoolperformancemaps.com/ca/...-121.8586,12,1

[18Montclair]

Dude, that's a horrible and grueling commute, whether your driving or using transit. I highly recommend Fremont/ Newark/ Union City if you want somewhere cheaper than San Jose but still want to be close. Even Milpitas right next to San Jose is cheaper than San Jose itself.

[butlersingh]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

So is there any place that has the following:
- Sub 1hr commute to SF OR SV
- Good Schools
- Low Crime / Family friendly
- not a tract home area

And the whopper.... Detached home in the 500k range?

Castro Valley looks pretty durned close.

How about Warm Springs area in South Fremont? Have you looked at that. Great Schools, equi-distance from SV, SF and even Redwood City, San Mateo. I think you can get pretty decent SFH for under 600K.